This is a delicious pasta side dish that you can enjoy with a spoon. When tomatoes are in season and basil is abundant, nothing is better!

Tips:

• Stretch the recipe out to a main course by boiling a pound of pasta and doubling the goodies.

Little Thimbles Sciue Sciue

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 8

PREP 25 minutes

COOK 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) ditalini pasta (thimble-shaped pasta) or other small tube-shaped pastas such as elbow macaroni or pennette

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons minced garlic

5 plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), chopped

8 ounces cold fresh mozzarella, drained, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

8 large fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring often to prevent the pasta from sticking together, about 8 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a heavy large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and sauté just until heated through, about 2 minutes. If the tomatoes aren’t perfectly ripe, you can cook a little longer to bring out the sugars.

3. Add the cooked pasta. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the cheese and basil, and toss to coat.

4. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt. Spoon the pasta into small serving bowls and serve immediately.